Post by QPR Report on May 31, 2010 7:14:54 GMT
Still only 22.
Plymouth Herald
Simon Walton 'willing to do what it takes' for future at Plymouth Argyle
MIDFIELDER Simon Walton has insisted he is willing to do whatever it takes to prove himself at Plymouth Argyle.
Walton, 22, spent most of last season on loan to League Two club Crewe Alexandra after falling out of favour with former Pilgrims' boss Paul Sturrock.
But with Argyle set to appoint a new manager soon, following their relegation from the Championship, Walton is hoping there will be a clean slate for him at Home Park.
He signed for the Pilgrims from Queens Park Rangers on a lucrative four-year contract in August 2008.
But Walton has made only 13 starts and one substitute appearance for the club — all of them in the 2008/09 season.
His last game for Argyle was in February 2009 when they lost 2-0 away to Charlton Athletic in the Championship.
The high expectations for Walton when he first arrived at Home Park have not come close to being fulfilled.
He accepts that but, in a candid interview with Herald Sport, Walton has declared his determination to try to make amends.
Walton said: "I'm a proud person and it's not nice that people think badly of me.
"I understand totally that the club put a lot of faith of me when they signed me and I have got a long way to go to repay that, but I'm more than willing to give it my all.
"I'm not stupid. I realise how it must look at the moment, but I have done a lot of growing up and I'm a lot more mature than I was.
"I have had a full season behind me at Crewe with no dramas and no hiccups, and people have started talking about me in a positive way again. I feel like I'm getting back on track.
"I have got two years left on my contract so there is still plenty of time to prove myself."
Walton made 33 appearances for Crewe, including 27 starts, in his eight months at Gresty Road.
During that time, former Crewe boss Dario Gradi was restored to the role of manager after the sacking of Gudjon Thordarsson, who had signed Walton.
Walton said: "It was good for me. I hadn't played that many games in a season for three or four years.
"Working with Dario was brilliant and he had quite a few positive things to say about me by the time I had left.
"I learned a lot and I think it has done me the world of good. I went there to get back on track and I feel like I'm getting there finally."
There are no guarantees, however, that Walton will get a chance to prove himself at Argyle next season.
That could depend on the new manager — whoever it is.
Walton is unsure what the future holds for him.
"I really don't know to be perfectly honest," he said.
"I haven't had any contact with anybody at the club since the day I left to go to Crewe.
"Unless somebody tells me otherwise, I will be back for the start of pre-season training and just take it from there.
"If the new manager is willing to give me a chance to prove myself, then I'm willing to do what it takes to try to get in the team.
"I'm in a lot better shape than I was, I have had a nice smooth season under my belt and I'm in a good place at the moment."
Walton was one of several highly-paid Argyle players who spent significant parts of last season out on loan.
The others were defender Marcel Seip, versatile left-sided player Jim Paterson, plus strikers Alan Gow and Steve MacLean.
All four of those players have contracts with Argyle until next summer, while Walton has another year on top of that.
But Argyle executive director Keith Todd told Herald Sport last week that none of them would have their deals paid up by the Pilgrims.
That is fine by Walton.
"I can't speak for anybody else, but I'm more than willing to come back and give it my all," he said.
"I still believe I'm more than capable of playing in the Championship, never mind League One."
Walton watched with disappointment, from afar, as Argyle were relegated to League One.
He said: "Obviously, there was nothing I could do about it, but it was sad to see.
"There is no point in looking back now, though. You only break your neck. The club have got to look forward and start planning for the future."
Walton had words of warning for anyone who believes Argyle will find it easy in League One.
He said: "I have been in League Two for a season and I think the gap between the divisions is starting to shrink. It's not going to be a walk in the park.
"We have got to stabilise and make sure we don't slip into freefall. It's certainly not going to be easy by any stretch of the imagination."
www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/sport/M-WILLING-TAKES/article-2233263-detail/article.html
Plymouth Herald
Simon Walton 'willing to do what it takes' for future at Plymouth Argyle
MIDFIELDER Simon Walton has insisted he is willing to do whatever it takes to prove himself at Plymouth Argyle.
Walton, 22, spent most of last season on loan to League Two club Crewe Alexandra after falling out of favour with former Pilgrims' boss Paul Sturrock.
But with Argyle set to appoint a new manager soon, following their relegation from the Championship, Walton is hoping there will be a clean slate for him at Home Park.
He signed for the Pilgrims from Queens Park Rangers on a lucrative four-year contract in August 2008.
But Walton has made only 13 starts and one substitute appearance for the club — all of them in the 2008/09 season.
His last game for Argyle was in February 2009 when they lost 2-0 away to Charlton Athletic in the Championship.
The high expectations for Walton when he first arrived at Home Park have not come close to being fulfilled.
He accepts that but, in a candid interview with Herald Sport, Walton has declared his determination to try to make amends.
Walton said: "I'm a proud person and it's not nice that people think badly of me.
"I understand totally that the club put a lot of faith of me when they signed me and I have got a long way to go to repay that, but I'm more than willing to give it my all.
"I'm not stupid. I realise how it must look at the moment, but I have done a lot of growing up and I'm a lot more mature than I was.
"I have had a full season behind me at Crewe with no dramas and no hiccups, and people have started talking about me in a positive way again. I feel like I'm getting back on track.
"I have got two years left on my contract so there is still plenty of time to prove myself."
Walton made 33 appearances for Crewe, including 27 starts, in his eight months at Gresty Road.
During that time, former Crewe boss Dario Gradi was restored to the role of manager after the sacking of Gudjon Thordarsson, who had signed Walton.
Walton said: "It was good for me. I hadn't played that many games in a season for three or four years.
"Working with Dario was brilliant and he had quite a few positive things to say about me by the time I had left.
"I learned a lot and I think it has done me the world of good. I went there to get back on track and I feel like I'm getting there finally."
There are no guarantees, however, that Walton will get a chance to prove himself at Argyle next season.
That could depend on the new manager — whoever it is.
Walton is unsure what the future holds for him.
"I really don't know to be perfectly honest," he said.
"I haven't had any contact with anybody at the club since the day I left to go to Crewe.
"Unless somebody tells me otherwise, I will be back for the start of pre-season training and just take it from there.
"If the new manager is willing to give me a chance to prove myself, then I'm willing to do what it takes to try to get in the team.
"I'm in a lot better shape than I was, I have had a nice smooth season under my belt and I'm in a good place at the moment."
Walton was one of several highly-paid Argyle players who spent significant parts of last season out on loan.
The others were defender Marcel Seip, versatile left-sided player Jim Paterson, plus strikers Alan Gow and Steve MacLean.
All four of those players have contracts with Argyle until next summer, while Walton has another year on top of that.
But Argyle executive director Keith Todd told Herald Sport last week that none of them would have their deals paid up by the Pilgrims.
That is fine by Walton.
"I can't speak for anybody else, but I'm more than willing to come back and give it my all," he said.
"I still believe I'm more than capable of playing in the Championship, never mind League One."
Walton watched with disappointment, from afar, as Argyle were relegated to League One.
He said: "Obviously, there was nothing I could do about it, but it was sad to see.
"There is no point in looking back now, though. You only break your neck. The club have got to look forward and start planning for the future."
Walton had words of warning for anyone who believes Argyle will find it easy in League One.
He said: "I have been in League Two for a season and I think the gap between the divisions is starting to shrink. It's not going to be a walk in the park.
"We have got to stabilise and make sure we don't slip into freefall. It's certainly not going to be easy by any stretch of the imagination."
www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/sport/M-WILLING-TAKES/article-2233263-detail/article.html